The Economy of Food at Sporting Events

Staples such as hot dogs, peanuts, and beer can still be found at Sporting Events, right along side lobster rolls and corn beef sandwiches - all for a steep price! With stadium fees and the team's take of the profits, the high price of concession stand food at sporting events is the product of complicated negotiations.

Two-thirds or more of a facility's total concessions revenues come from hot dogs, peanuts and other ballpark staples.

Drinks almost always have very high profit margins (in excess of 90%)

Hot Dogs Stats

What one ballpark food can you not live without (2008 info)?
- 63: percentage of fans that said hot dogs
- 18: percentage of fans that said peanuts
- 19: percentage of fans that said pizza, cotton candy, and cracker jacks

80: percentage of fans that have eaten a hot dog at a sporting even in the past year, or will eat one at a sporting event this year.

- 20,421,361: projected sale of hot dogs at Major League ballparks in the US in 2013
- 28,113: number of times the amount of hot dogs consumed would round the bases
- 361: number of home games it would take for all 56,000 fans at Dodger Stadium (MLB's largest stadium) to eat 20,421,361 hot dogs

There is only one major league ballpark that sells more sausages than it does hot dogs - Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI.5

- 150: average number of hot dogs a baseball vendor sells per game
- 10-12: thousand hot dogs - number of hot dogs a baseball vendor sells per season.6
- 40: pounds, approximate weight of a vendor's hot dog bin, fully loaded
- 4-5: miles, average distance vendors walk per game up and down stairs carrying their bin - they work on commission and tips, so they move fast